He was Obi-Wan Kenobi's mentor who discovered Anakin Skywalker whom he believed to be the Chosen One. Before dying in the arms of his apprentice, he made Obi-Wan promise to train Anakin as a Jedi. In Attack of the Clones, it is revealed that Qui-Gon was Count Dooku's apprentice.

Contents

Background

Biography

Qui-Gon was born Force-sensitive on the planet of Coruscant. At a very young age, he was discovered by the Jedi Order and brought to the Coruscant Jedi Temple to be trained as a Jedi, at some point he was assigned to Jedi Master Dooku to be the latter's apprentice, Qui-Gon eventually obtaining the rank of Jedi Master, and becoming one of the finest Jedi that the Jedi Order has ever had. At some point, Qui-Gon took on an apprentice, named Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Due to his maverick views, Qui-Gon was never offered a seat on the Jedi High Council, despite him being one of the most powerful and wisest members of the Jedi Order.

Unknown to the members of the Jedi High Council and his apprentice Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon had secretly discovered the existence of and trained with a group of Force-sensitives known as the Force Priestesses, who taught him how to preserve his identity through the Force allowing him to become immortal. Qui-Gon had a good relationship with Obi-Wan and although they greatly respected each other, Qui-Gon was often at odds with his apprentice, due to the fact that Obi-Wan was a more devoted follower of the Jedi Code than Qui-Gon, who preferred to follow his conscience and the will of the Living Force.

On the desert planet of Tatooine, Qui-Gon met a young Force-sensitive human boy named Anakin Skywalker. Sensing that he had an unusually powerful connection to the Force, Qui-Gon took a sample of Anakin's blood and had the specimen analysed on their ship to discover how high his midi-chlorian count was. After he had Obi-Wan run the test, he discovered that Anakin had a midi-chlorian count that was over twenty thousand, as no Force-user in the history of the galaxy had a midi-chlorian count that high, not even Yoda; he (correctly) believed the latter to be the Chosen One of the Jedi prophecy.

Qui-Gon won Anakin's freedom in a wager a against his master; Watto on the Boonta Eve race and on their way to the Naboo Royal Starship, they were attacked by a mysterious dark warrior (Darth Maul). During their duel - Qui-Gon realized that not only did his opponent know the ways of the Force but he was also familiar with the Jedi art of lightsaber combat. He then concluded that the only possible explanation was that his opponent was infact a Sith; an organization and order of Dark side Force-users who the enemy of the Jedi that were believed to be extinct.

After this encounter, Qui-Gon reported his concerns to the Jedi High Council. However, the Council was skeptical of the potential existence of the Sith; such as Ki-Adi-Mundi who stated that the Sith have been extinct for a millennia and Mace Windu who arrogantly stated that the Sith could not possibly return without them knowing. Qui-Gon also reported his discovery of Anakin Skywalker (added his discovery of the latter's unusually powerful connection to the Force and his suspicion that he may be the Chosen One of the prophecy) some members of the Jedi High Council were skeptical to believe this as well.

Qui-Gon requested that Anakin be tested, and the Council reluctantly agreed. However, despite being impressed by Anakin's abilities, the Council also sensed Anakin's emotional attachment to his mother and a considerable degree of fear within him, which they found troubling. As a result, they refused to train him.

After Anakin was denied entry into the Jedi Order, Qui-Gon stated that he would train the latter and become his mentor, to which the Jedi Council pointed out that Qui-Gon already had an apprentice, and that the Jedi Code forbid him from having more than one apprentice at a time.

During the Battle of Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan dueled Maul, although the Jedi Master initially had the upper hand until the Sith Lord lured him into a tight corner (as Qui-Gon had a disadvantage fighting in tight spaces) he was mortally wounded by Maul. Obi-Wan then (apparently) succeeded in killing the Sith Lord by cutting him in half.

Before succumbing to his wounds, Qui-Gon made Obi-Wan promise that he would train Anakin as a Jedi, a request which the former agreed to, after which Qui-Gon died and became a Force spirit.

Personality

Qui-Gon Jinn was a noble, patient, compassionate and faithful Jedi Master. Even as a Padawan, he had good control over his emotions, as he was able to hide them. He was also a cunning and powerful warrior who had a tendency to take lesser creatures under his wing, something that frustrated and baffled both his mentor Dooku and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, to no end. Though he had risen to the rank of Master, Qui-Gon did not always agree with the rules and structures of the Jedi Order. He was known to disobey the Jedi High Council or bend the rules of the Jedi Code, if he felt it was the right choice. Due to this maverick nature of his, Qui-Gon was never offered a seat on the Jedi High Council, despite him being among the wisest and most powerful Jedi of his time.

Qui-Gon was sometimes at odds with his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, due to the fact that Obi-Wan was a more devoted follower of the Jedi Code than Qui-Gon, who preferred to follow his conscience and the will of the Living Force. Despite this, he still had a strong bond and friendship with Obi-Wan, and the two greatly respected each other.

Qui-Gon was an intelligent, wise and calculating Jedi who was unorthodox in his views. While other Jedi focused on meditation to try to understand the future, Qui-Gon lived in the moment. He believed that one's focus on the future should not compromise the concentration on the present, and strongly believed in trusting one's instincts. His belief that young Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One looked at both the future and in the moment. Qui-Gon continue to believe in Anakin, even after the latter became Darth Vader; he continued to believe there was still good left in Vader and he was not beyond redemption and forgiveness. In the end, all these beliefs of his proved to be correct.

His commitment to studying the galaxy and interacting with it would prove far-reaching, having a great impact on Obi-Wan and Anakin, both of whom would greatly influence the founder of the New Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker. Like Anakin, he was honest and was not above apologizing or admitting when he was wrong; unlike most members of the Jedi Order, he was capable of acknowledged mistakes and learned from them as well, as he was one of the few members of the Jedi Order who knew there was flaws in the Jedi teachings and code. He also knew about the corruption in the Galactic Senate, as later stated by Dooku.

Controversially, Qui-Gon was thought of as a Gray Jedi by some members of the Jedi Order both for his unorthodox views and frequent opposition to their demands, despite the fact that he was not in the line between light and dark, nor distancing himself from the Jedi Council.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

The Force: Qui-Gon was very powerful and had a very strong connection to the Force. Although he was not quite as powerful as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker respectively; at the two latters' peaks, Qui-Gon was still one of the most powerful Force-users in the history of the galaxy.

Telekinesis: Qui-Gon utilized Telekinesis as either offensive or defense.

Mind Trick: Qui-Gon utilized Mind Trick to control the minds of other sentient beings, however, it did not work on individuals who have very strong wills.

Force Sense: Qui-Gon utilized Force Sense to sense another sentient being's emotions, the future, ripples in the Force caused by momentous or traumatic events, impending danger and the presence of the Dark side.

Force Dash: Qui-Gon utilized Force Dash to move at amazing speeds.

Force Spirit: Qui-Gon learned from the Force Priestesses on how to preserve his identity through the Force. He became a Force spirit when he died from the injurie he received from Darth Maul in their final confrontation, allowing him to become immortal. He would help teach this skill to Yoda and probably taught the secret to Anakin Skywalker, moments before Anakin died from the injuries he received from Palpatine, where he sacrifices his life to save his son, Luke Skywalker.

Abilities

Lightsaber Skills: Qui-Gon was extremely skilled in lightsaber combat and a highly gifted duelist. He was one of the greatest lightsaber duelists in the history of the galaxy. Qui-Gon was one of the few known individuals who could fight Yoda as an equal. Despite Qui-Gon's masterful dueling skills, he was not without his weaknesses; as he had a disadvantage fighting in tight spaces, this was what ultimately led to Qui-Gon's death at the hands of Darth Maul.

Form IV: Qui-Gon was extremely skilled in Ataru.

Form V: Qui-Gon was highly skilled in Shien/Djem So.

High-Level Intellect/Master Tactician/Leader: Qui-Gon was highly intelligent and wise; his intelligence and wisdom was surpassed only by Yoda, Palpatine, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker respectively. As a Jedi Master, Qui-Gon was a highly skilled tactician and a very capable leader.

Expert Pilot: Qui-Gon was highly skilled in piloting various speeders and most types of flying crafts.

Weapons and Equipment

Lightsaber

Qui-Gon's valued weapon and possession was his green-bladed lightsaber.

Lightsaber: Qui-Gon used a green-bladed lightsaber as a Jedi. He had it when he fought Darth Maul, and it is unknown what happened to it after his death. It is possible Obi-Wan kept it or it passed on to another Jedi. An alternate possibility is that it was immolated with its master during Qui-Gon's funeral.

Appearances

The Phantom Menace

Qui-Gon is sent with his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to negotiate with the Trade Federation, who have been causing a blockade around Naboo. While on the ship, they are attacked by Battle Droids and make their way to an exit, where they find the Federation armies are planning an invasion on Naboo, so they leave to warn Queen Padmé Amidala.

Qui-Gon saves Jar Jar Binks.

While on Naboo, Qui-Gon saves a Gungan outcast, Jar Jar Binks, who offers to bring them to the underwater city of Otoh Gunga. While there, Qui-Gon asks the ruler, Boss Nass, if he would fight off the invasion, but he refuses, saying that the Naboo think themselves to be superior to the Gungans. Qui-Gon uses a Jedi mind trick to get Nass to give them a bongo (a type of submarine transport), and they leave for Theed Palace. On the way, they are nearly eaten by a fish called an Opee Sea killer, but a bigger Sando Aqua monster inadvertently saves them by eating the Opee and the Colo Claw Fish that chase them, and they escape. They arrive at Theed and rescue Padmé, her handmaidens, some soldiers and their captain Panaka. Senator Sio Bible stays behind to negotiate, and they leave in the Queen's starfighter.

They are ambushed by the Federation, damaging their hyperdrive in the process, and are forced to land on the desert planet of Tatooine. Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, Padmé, and an astromech droid called R2-D2 set out to the village to get a new engine. They meet a part seller named Watto, who has an engine, but they are not able to buy it. Qui-Gon attempts a mind trick, but Watto is a Toydarian and it does not work. Watto's assistant, Anakin Skywalker, invites them to his house because a sandstorm is coming. Qui-Gon begins to sense the Force is strong in Anakin, and gives him a midi-chlorian check, finding his is higher than Yoda's. Anakin enters a pod race to win the money for them, with Qui-Gon tricking Watto into thinking he had acquired the podracer Anakin had built. Watto, who has Anakin and his mother as slaves, offers to set only one free. He rolls a dice with two sides that are red and blue. If it lands on red, Anakin's mother will go, and if blue, Anakin will go. Qui-Gon uses the Force to make it land on blue. Though Watto says they will not succeed, Anakin is able to win and they leave. On the way to the ship, Qui-Gon and Anakin are attacked by a Sith lord named Darth Maul, and they are just able to escape, informing Obi-Wan that Darth Maul is well trained in the Jedi arts and after the queen, and introduces Anakin to Obi-Wan.

On Coruscant, Qui-Gon tells the Jedi Council about their findings, and asks if Anakin can be trained, but the Council refuses, believing Anakin is too old and that his future is clouded and uncertain. Obi-Wan argues with Qui-Gon, saying if he actually follows the Council's rules, maybe he will be on it, and citing Anakin as potentially dangerous.

They go back to Naboo with Padmé and her guards when they are informed she intends to fight the Trade Federation, where Obi-Wan apologizes for arguing on Coruscant. Qui-Gon tells him he thought he was much wiser than himself, and they go to find Boss Nass and the other Gungans. He refuses to help, until Padmé reveals she is the real queen and the other one, Sabé, is a decoy. After Padme acknowledges Nass as an equal, the Gungans agree to aid them against the droid armies. The gungans fight the main army outside the city, while the others get inside Theed Palace to arrest the Federation's Viceroy, Nute Gunray. They eventually reach a door during the battle that opens to reveal Darth Maul.

Qui-Gon in his last moments.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan duel Maul within the Theed Power Complex, and eventually, Obi-Wan is knocked off a balcony, and it takes a while for him to catch up. They are all at different parts both the palace's reactor core and separated by ray shields when Qui-Gon begins to meditate. The shields go off, and he and Maul fight again. They reach a room with a giant hole, and Obi-Wan is caught behind the last shield. Maul hits Qui-Gon in the face with his lightsaber during their duel and proceeds to stab him through the torso. Obi-Wan is able to defeat Maul, and he rushes to help his master. A mortally wounded Qui-Gon asks Obi-Wan to train Anakin, saying that he is the Chosen One and will bring balance to the Force, to which Obi-Wan promises just before Qui-Gon himself dies.

Qui-Gon appears as a ghost on it when he visits Obi-Wan on the planet Mortis. He asks if he had trained Anakin like he asked, and Obi-Wan confirms it. Qui-Gon is also revealed to have become a Force-spirit as well, as Yoda finds out that he trained with the Force Priestesses. As Qui-Gon's training was incomplete, however, the Jedi Master could only manifest himself as a disembodied voice.

In Printed Media

Qui-Gon Jinn makes a very brief appearance in the novel Ahsoka, in which he is shown to be training Obi-Wan on Tatooine in the techniques that allowed him to become immortal by preserving his spirit through the Force.

Relationships

Like all Jedi, Qui-Gon highly respected Yoda and was trained by him as a young boy; prior to Qui-Gon becoming Dooku's apprentice. However, they often disagreed with each other due to their differing beliefs; Yoda looked to the future while Qui-Gon lived in the moment. When Qui-Gon was killed by Darth Maul, Yoda was saddened, but continued to disapprove of Qui-Gon's unorthodox ways, regarding them as "defiance".

During the Clone Wars, Qui-Gon's spirit saw that dark times were approaching and contacted Yoda to set him on the path to learning the teachings of the Force Priestesses to become a Force spirit and become immortal. It was only then that Yoda finally and truly acknowledged that Qui-Gon had been a great Jedi and apologized for not recognizing it. Qui-Gon humbly accepted Yoda's apology.

Dooku became Qui-Qon's mentor after he was promoted to the rank of Padawan. The two quickly became very close due to their many similarities; both were very individual thinkers, idealists, and having a unique knowledge of the Force. After Qui-Gon passed the Trials and became a Jedi Knight, Dooku urged Qui-Gon not to trust others telling him his need to reach out to others left him vulnerable to betrayal. Qui-Gon lived by all the lessons Dooku taught him except that last one.

When Qui-Gon was killed by Darth Maul, Dooku was so saddened that he later turned to the Dark side and became the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus.

Qui-Gon shared a close bond and friendship with his apprentice. However, they did not always agree due to Qui-Gon being a student of the Living Force and Obi-Wan being a proponent of the Unifying Force. When Qui-Gon was killed by Darth Maul, Obi-Wan was devastated and took Anakin Skywalker as his apprentice to fulfill his mentor's dying wish.

After Anakin became Darth Vader, Qui-Gon's spirit contacted Obi-Wan and taught him the techniques on becoming a Force spirit.

Qui-Gon first met Anakin on Tatooine. When Qui-Gon discovered his midi-chlorian was over twenty thousand, he immediately became convinced that Anakin was the Chosen One (as no Force-user in the history of the galaxy had midi-chlorian that high; not even Yoda). Qui-Gon's support of Anakin made him a target of assassination by Darth Sidious, who dispatched Darth Maul to Naboo to kill him, hoping to eliminate Anakin's chances of becoming a Jedi. Before succumbing to his wounds, Qui-Gon made Obi-Wan promise to make Anakin his apprentice.

When Anakin fell to the Dark side and became Darth Vader, Qui-Gon could see the conflict within him. After Vader's survival was revealed to Obi-Wan by a HoloNet broadcast about the Subjugation of Kashyyyk, Qui-Gon's spirit revealed to Obi-Wan that Luke was safe on Tatooine because Vader could not arrive in such places due to them awakening memories of when he was Anakin, a part of his life Vader wanted to forget forever.

Unlike Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon believed there was still good left in Anakin and that he was redeemable. Qui-Gon's faith in his close friend proved right when Anakin sacrificed himself to save his son Luke; proving that Qui-Gon was a true friend to Anakin in the end.

Trivia

In Attack of the Clones, when Anakin Skywalker kills the Tusken Raiders who killed his mother, Qui-Gon's voice is heard saying "Anakin! Anakin! Nooo!" Yoda feels this and informs it to Mace Windu. He is also mentioned by Count Dooku to Obi-Wan after he was captured.

Though he does not appear in Revenge of the Sith, Yoda reveals to Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon Jinn has retained his identity through the Force and that Obi-Wan will learn how to become a Force spirit from him.

In multiple interviews, Qui Gon-Jinn's actor, Liam Neeson said that this was one of his favorite roles and would be interested in playing the character again.